Distributing valve



Jan. 17, 1933. w. A. SMlTH, JR 1,894,799

DISTRIBUTING VALVE Filed Nov. 20, 1950 INVENTQR." 1 I mm m tannin! HIS A TTORNEY;

Patented Jan. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM A. SMITH, JIEL, OF PHILLIPSBURG, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ING-ERSO'LL- RAND COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY DISTRIBUTING VALVE Application filed November 20, 1930. Serial No. 496,891.

This invention relates to distributing valves, but more particularly to a distributing valve adapted for use in connection with fluid actuated rocx drills for distributing the pres sure fluid to the ends of the piston chamber.

One object of the invention is to effect a uniform distribution of pressure fluid to the ends of the piston chamber'throughout the operation of the drill.

Another object is to utilize the piston of the rock drill as an instrumentality for actuating the valve.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts,

Figure 1 is a sectional levation of so much of a rock drill as will serve to illustrate the invention, and

Figures 2, 3 and 4 aretransverse views taken through Figure 1 on the lines 2-2, 3-3, and 44 looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, A designates generally the rock drill comprisinga cylinder B and front and back heads C and D which,,with the cylinder B, constitute the casing of the drill.

The front and back heads may be secured to the cylinder B in any well known manner, as for instance, by side bolts (not shown), and a plate E, may, as shown, be inserted in the rear end of the cylinder and clamped in the assembled position by the back head D to form a closure for a piston chamber F in the cylinder B. Within'the piston chamber F is a. reciprocatory hammer piston G which may rotate freely within the piston chamber and has a head I-I slidable in the piston chamber F, and on the front end of the piston G is an extension J to strike against a working implement K which extends through the front head C and is guided therein by suit able chuck mechanism designated generally b L.

The admission of pressure fluid to the rock drill A for actuating the piston G is controlled by a throttle valve 0 seated in the back head D and having a central chamber P which may be in constant communication with the source of pressure fluid supply. In the wall of the throttle valve 0 is a port R to register with a supply passage S, also in the back head I).

.The valve mechanism constructed in accordance withthe practice of the invention comprises a valve chest T arranged longitudi nally of the cylinder B and of which it may form a part and being bored to form a'valve chamber U for the reception of a cylindrical distributing valve V of substantially uniform diameter throughout its length. The valve V is in the form of a sleeve and has a bore W which preferably extends entirely through the valve to form a supply reservoir into which pressure fluid may be constantly in troduced by the supply passage S The valve chamber U and therefore the valve V are preferably of approximately the length of the piston chamber F, and in the valve V and near the rear end thereof is a lateral port X which is adapted to register with an inlet passage Y leading from the valve chamber to the rear end of the piston chamber F. Similarly, in or near the front end of the valve V is another port Z which is located in a plane offset with respect to the port X and is adapted to register with an inlet passage 7) leading from a point near the front end of the valve chamber U to the corresponding end of the piston chamber F.

The inlet passages Y and b in this instance also serve to convey exhaust fluid from the piston chamber F and in the periphery of the valve V and near the front and rear ends thereof are recesses or passages c and (2 respectively which in certain positions of the valve V will register with the inlet passages.

In the valve chest U are exhaust ports 0 and The exhaust port 6 is located near the front end of the valve chest to register with the passage 0 for communicating the front inlet passage 7) with the atmosphere and the exhaust port f is located near the rear end of the valve chest to register with the passage (Z for exhausting pressure fluid from the rear end of the piston chamber F.

The exhaust ports 6 and Z, also he in different planes and are so and 7 like the portsX Eati- A.

located with respect to the ports X and Z that when an exhaust passage in the valve opens one end of the piston chamber F to the atmosphere the port in the opposite end of the valve will occupy a position to establish communication between the reservoir and an inlet passage.

The valve V is adapted to be rotated from one limiting position to another and in this instance by the piston G. To this end the ifront inlet passage 6 and the exhaust port 8 upon which it seats.

valve V is provided on its outer surface with a double-ended spiral groove 9 to receive a cylindrical end 72. of a shoe j which is carried by the piston G.

The portion 7: of the shoe 7' which is associated with the piston G extends into an annular groove 0 in the head H of the piston and is provided with a concave seating surface p to conform with the bottom of the groove 0 In cross section the portion is may be rectangular and said portion is of substantially the same length as the width of the groove 0 in which it may have a running fit.

In the wall 9 of the cylinder B or its equivalent lying intermediate the piston chamber F and the valve chamber U is a longitudinally extending slot r which lies in a plane extending through the axes of the valve and piston chambers to guide a stem 8 on the shoe j and of which the cylindrical end 72. may form a part. The stem 8 may, if desired, be of rectangular shape and is provided on opposite sides thereof with flat surfaces 2? which cooperate with the walls of the slot r for guidin the shoe 7'.

e operation of the device is as follows: With the piston G in the rearmost position in the piston chamber F as illustrated in Fig- 'ure 1 the valve V will occupy a position in which the ort X registers with the inlet passage Y. essure fluid will then flow from the interior of the valve through these channels into the rear end of the piston chamber F to drive the hammer piston G forwardly against the working implement K.

While the valve and the piston are in these limiting positions the front exhaust passage 0 will establish communication between the so that during a portion of the forward stroke of the piston G the front end of the piston chamber F will be vented to the atmosphere.

During the forward stroke of the piston G the shoe which is suitably interlocked with 657 position to establish communication between the piston will, by sliding through the slot r and the spiral groove 9, rotate or oscillate the valve V thus carrying the port X out of communication from the rear inlet passage Y and moving the port Z into communication with the inlet passage 6 slightly prior to the delivery of the blow of the hammer piston G against the working implement. At the same time the passage (i will be carried into the inlet passage Y and the exhaust port f and the pressure fluid utilized for actuating the piston G forwardly will then be exhausted to the atmosphere through these channels.

In the new position of the valve pressure fluid will flow from the interior of the valve through the port Z and the front inlet passage 6 into the front end of the piston chamber F and will drive the iston G rearwardly to its initial position. is the piston G approaches this initial position the valve V will oscillate to a position to again establish communication between the interior of the valve and the rear end of the piston chamber F and the passage 0 will connect the front inlet passage b with the exhaust port e. In this way the pressure fluid utilizedfor actuating the piston G rearwardly may escape to the atmosphere.

The ports X and Z may be so located with respect to each other that as the piston G approaches the intermediate portion of the piston chamber F both ports will be out of communication with their respective inlet passages. In consequence of this arrangement the piston will be actuated throughout a portion of both its forward and back stroke by the expansive force of the pressure fluid acting against the head H. This is a very desirable feature since it tends to reduce to a considerable degree the consumption of pressure fluid and at the same time assures a heavy blow. of the hammer piston G against the working implement.

The valve constructed in accordance with the present invention has been found to be well suited for use as a means for distributing the pressure fluid required by a rock drill. By seating the valve endsagainst the ends of the valve chamber the valve is amply protected against sharp impact upon the elements which form its chamber and the only wear which will occur on the valve will be on its outer peripheral surface. Such wear will, however, be slight since pressure fluid will have access to a very considerable portion of this surface of the valve and inasmuch as it is customary to supply lubricant to all the movable parts of a rock drill through the medium of the pressure fluid used for actuating the drill the valve will therefore be Well lubricated at all times.

I claim:

1. In a fluid actuated rock drill, the combination of a cylinder having a piston chamber and a hammer piston reciprocable and capable of free rotation in the piston chamber, a valve chest on the side of the cylinder and having a valve chamber, inlet passages leading from the valve chamber to the piston the piston into a rotary movement of the valve.

2. In a fluid actuated rock drill, the combination of a cylinder having a piston chamber and a reciprocatory hammer piston in the piston chamber and being capable of rotary movement therein, a valve chest on the side of the cylinder having a valve chamber arranged in parallelism with the piston chamber, inlet passages leading from the valve chamber to the piston chamber, a cylindrical valve in the valve chamber to control the inlet passages, and means between the chambers actuated by the piston and being slidably interlocked with the valve and the piston for oscillating the valve from one limiting position to another.

3. In a fluid actuated rock drill, the combination of a cylinder having a piston chamher and a hammer piston reciprocable in the piston chamber, a valve chest on the side of the cylinder having a valve chamber extending longitudinally of the piston chamber, inlet passages leading from the valve chamber to the piston chamber, a cylindrical tubular valve in the valve chamber having a bore to serve as a supply reservoir, ports in the valve, and a shoe extending into both chambers and being slidably interlocked with the valve and the piston for oscillating the valve to establish communication between the ports and the inlet passages.

4. In a fluid actuated rock drill, the combination of a cylinder having a piston chamber and a reciprocatory piston in the piston chamber, a valve chest on the side of the cylinder having a valve chamber extending longitudinally of the piston chamber, inlet passages leading from the valve chamber to the piston chamber, a valve in the valve chamber and having a double-ended spiral groove, and a shoe seated loosely in the piston and being slidable in the spiral groove to oscillate the valve for efiecting the distribution of pressure fluid to the inlet passages.

5. In a fluid actuated rock drill, the combination of a cylinder having a piston chamber and a reciprocatory piston disposed loosely therein to permit of rotation of the piston With respect to the piston chamber, an annular groove in the piston, a valve chest having a valve chamber and exhaust ports, inlet passages affording communication between the chambers, a valve in the valve chamber and having a bore therein serving as a supply reservoir, ports in the valve for conveying pressure fluid from the reservoir to the inlet passages, exhaust passages in the valve to register with the inlet passages and the exhaust ports for exhausting fluid from the piston chamber, and means slidable in the annular groove and being slidably interlocked with the valve for rocking the valve in opposite directions.

6. In a fluid actuated rock drill, the combination of a cylinder having a piston chamber and a reciprocatory piston therein and loosely with respect to the cylinder to permit of rotative movement of the piston, an annular groove in the piston, a valve chest having a valve chamber and exhaust ports, inlet passages aflording communication between the chambers, a valve in the valve chamber for controlling the inlet passages and the exhaust ports, a guide slot in the cylinder, a groove in the valve and being arranged at an angle with respect to the slot, and a shoe slidable in the slot and the grooves to actuate the valve from one limiting position to another.

7. In a fluid actuated rock drill, the combination of a cylinder having a piston chamber and a piston reciprocable in the piston chamber and loosely with respect to the cylinder to permit ofrotative movement of the piston, an annular groove in the piston, a valve chest having a valve chamber, inlet passages leading from the valve chamber to the piston chamber, a cylindrical valve in the valve chamber having a bore to serve as a supply reservoir, ports in the valve to admit pressure fluid into the inlet passages and being arranged to be simultaneously out of communication with the inlet passages during a portion of the stroke of the piston, and means seated in the annular groove and being slidably interlocked with the valve for actuating the valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

, WILLIAM A. SMITH, JR. 

